How important is a skimmer?

[flower]

In all the years I have had a saltwater fish tank, no matter the size, I have had a skimmer. They were also all reef tanks.
So how important is a skimmer to a 90g fish only tank? I have the 24g sump and 18g refugium on it for filtration.
There isn’t that much in the 90g and if possible I would like to keep the fish, but I need a skimmer on the SH tank. So I must choose between the two which to keep, somebody offered me some buckets of salt, so the skimmer is now the only issue.
FISH:

• 
  · Lawnmower blenny
• 
  · Hippo tang
• 
  · Kole Tang
• 
  · 2 Perc clowns
  · Purple dottyback
  
  INVERTS

• 
  · Snails
  · A few hermits
  · 2 serpent stars

 

[meowzer]

Flower...I would keep the skimmer on the 90....I really think that will be too much on the 29G....
Talk to Teresa.....

 

[gemmy]

You would be fine without a skimmer for a FOWLR. I would lightly feed the tank (maybe every other day and offer algae sheets on non frozen days). The nitrates might spike up a bit.
But I do agree with Meowzer.

 

[mproctor4]

I feed heavily, never had a skimmer........corals and fish doing great. Nitrates won't hurt your fish.

 

[flower]

Why would it be too big for the 30g? The 30g SH tank plus the sump makes 50g of water volume
Mproctor4, nitrates do hurt inverts. I just got my nitrates under control...